INX Media: P Chidambaram moves Delhi HC seeking interim bail on health grounds

Former Union minister P Chidambaram has moved the Delhi High Court seeking interim bail in the INX Media case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on health grounds..Chidambaram has sought interim bail till November 4..Earlier this week, P Chidambaram was taken to AIIMS after he complained of a stomach ache. He was reportedly treated for gastrointestinal-related problems and subsequently discharged on the same day..In the interim bail plea filed through Advocate Arshdeep Singh, Chidambaram informed that Court that the relief is sought to enable him to consult and get examined by his regular treating doctor at the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Hyderabad, as he is not responding to the treatment at AIIMS..It is also stated that Chidambaram is suffering from chronic abdominal pain for the past few days due to Crohn’s disease, which he was diagnosed with in the year 2017..Chidambaram had previously sought the CBI Court’s permission on October 24 to allow him to visit Hyderabad for treatment of his stomach ailment..This request was strongly opposed by the Enforcement Directorate. The CBI Court had therefore turned down the request and stated that in case of any medical need, P Chidambaram would be be immediately taken to AIIMS..The INX Media case pertains to the alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance to INX Media at the time when P Chidambaram was the Finance Minister. It is the case of the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that P Chidambaram and his son Karti had received illegal gratification from INX Media owners Peter and Indrani Mukherjea for the clearance..The CBI had arrested P Chidambaram on August 21 after his anticipatory bail plea in the case was rejected by the High Court..Chidambaram, who spent a fortnight in police custody after his arrest, was thereafter remanded to judicial custody. His plea for regular bail was rejected by the Special CBI Judge sitting at the Rouse Avenue Court Complex in Delhi. Later, bail was denied by the Delhi High Court as well..Chidambaram was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on October 16. He has already been granted regular bail in the CBI case by the Supreme Court. Chidambaram’s bail plea in the INX Media money laundering case is pending before the High Court..The matter is likely to be heard tomorrow.